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The 1946-47 Weatherly Wreckers won four trophies that season, including, from left: The Class B Eastern Regional championship, the Mountain League championship, the PIAA Interdistrict championship, and the Class B-1 Preliminary championship.

Throughout the long and rich tradition of Weatherly High School basketball, few teams if any can match the success and talent of the Wrecker squad that took the floor in 1946-47.

Led by all-state player Ron Duser and future all-stater Paul West, the Wreckers captured the fourth of their six straight Mountain League championships that season on their way to a 26-6 record. But that was just the beginning of their successes.

The Wreckers went on to defeat playoff foes Hellertown, Pine Grove, Camp Hill, Collingdale and Wyoming en route to the PIAA Interdistrict and PIAA Eastern Regional championships, leading to a berth in the state final in Pittsburgh. Although they lost by seven points to Irwin for the state championship, the Wreckers won the hearts of their loyal fans and an entire town.

Sixty-six years later, they're still regarded as one of the finest basketball teams this region has seen, earning them induction into the Hazleton Area Sports Hall of Fame later this summer. The 1946-47 Wreckers will be inducted during ceremonies Sunday, Sept. 15 at Best Western Genetti Inn & Suites, Hazle Township.

From 1916 through 2013, more than 13,000 male athletes have participated in high school basketball for the Wreckers. While they have enjoyed great success throughout the 20th century and into the 21st, the Wreckers' six-year run from 1944 through 1949 was perhaps the school's best ever.

Beginning in 1944, Weatherly won an amazing six consecutive Mountain League titles. And in the four-year span from 1945-49, the Wreckers compiled a 96-15 record, for a .865 winning percentage. Three of those 15 losses came at the hands of powerful Class A team Allentown, which went on to win three straight PIAA Class A (big school) titles during that stretch.

In those days, there were only two classifications in state basketball, Class A for the big schools and Class B for the small schools.

"The most significant thing I remember was our schedule, which included Allentown, who was on their way to three state titles," West said.

Five of the Wreckers' six losses that season came outside the Mountain League, those coming to Class A titlist Allentown (twice), Class B champ Irwin, and local rival MMI (twice).

The Wreckers blitzed through their Mountain League schedule, splitting their two games with league finalist East Mauch Chunk, while dispatching the likes of St. Ann's (Freeland), Rock Glen, Nuremberg, White Haven, and Ringtown two times each. Weatherly then overwhelmed Mauch Chunk 60-30 for the Mountain League championship before embarking on its playoff run.

But one of the season's most memorable games was the rematch against Allentown at the Weatherly High School gym.

David vs. Goliath

"The first time we played them it was in Allentown, and we had played a Mountain League game the night before," West recalled. "We were tied at halftime, and Allentown dominated in the second half to beat us. But we knew with adequate rest and preparation, we could give them a game."

The highly-anticipated rematch proved to be one of the season's toughest tickets. Weatherly fans were lined up for tickets by 4:30 that afternoon.

"They had set up temporary bleachers on the stage, and the gym was absolutely packed," West said, describing the scene.

In front of the standing-room-only crowd, Allentown jumped out to a 14-2 first-quarter lead, holding the Wreckers to just a pair of free throws. But the Wreckers chopped away at the big lead, and trailed by just three points (47-44) late in the fourth quarter before Allentown prevailed 53-47. After nearly pulling off the David-vs-Goliath upset, Weatherly faithful showed their appreciation.

"At the end of the game, the Weatherly fans gave the team a standing ovation," West said.

At the time, Weatherly was the second-smallest school in the state, while Allentown was one of the state's largest schools.

"The way we played Allentown was part of what accounted for my belief that this was probably the best Weatherly team that has ever played," West said.

Experienced Wreckers

Aside from Duser and an emerging West, the Wreckers didn't have much star power. But what they did have was experience.

"Duser had played for three seasons, and I had played for two," West said. "We were not a big team, but we were experienced. And we gelled together very well."

Duser was a six-footer who could do it all for the Wreckers.

The team's senior captain led the Mountain League in scoring (292 points, 20.8 ppg) that season and established a new regional scoring record with his 45-point explosion against White Haven. He was a three-time All-Mountain League performer, a two-time All-Regional selection and was named honorable mention All-State in Class A as a senior.

"He was a hard man to stop," West said of his all-state teammate, who lives just a few doors away in Weatherly. "He could jump and he could score."

West, who was 5-11, was the team's ballhandler and top defender. In '46-47 he was the team's second-leading scorer at 8.5 points per game, was named to the All-Mountain League team and to the All-Regional second team. He went on to average 12.3 points per game as a senior when he was selected to the Class B All-State first team in 1947-48.

After Duser and West, the Wreckers were a group of blue collar workers that meshed well as a team.

Clat Heiney was the team's center and tallest player at 6-2, Bill Doney was a 6-foot forward, and Bob Ebling was the Wreckers' other ballhandler.

Conrad Peiffer, Bob Correll, Harold Rhode, Bill Nyer and Tom Williams rounded out the 10-man Wrecker squad, which despite a lack of depth played stifling defense on its opponents. The Wreckers allowed just 32 points per game, but could score as well. They averaged 49 points per contest, and the 82 points they put up Ringtown that season was a local record at the time.

The team was coached by Russell Bubeck, who unlike his team, didn't have a lot of experience - at least on the hardwood.

"Coach Bubeck was really a football coach. He did not really know that much about basketball," West remembered. "He would come in at halftime and ask us questions about what the other team was doing, and what we thought we should do."

The fact that they weren't a deep team, and Coach Bubeck wasn't an experienced basketball coach, made what the Wreckers accomplished in '46-47 "doubly amazing" West said.

"When the season began, I don't think we thought we'd get to the state final," West said.

On to greatness

The Wreckers opened the playoffs that season with a 52-34 win over Hellertown, then defeated Pine Grove 48-30 and steamrolled Camp Hill 53-28 for the PIAA Class B Interdistrict (District 11/3) championship. Duser poured in a then-PIAA playoff record 35 points against Camp Hill.

The Wreckers then slipped past Collingdale 33-32 to reach the Class B Eastern final against Wyoming and a prolific scorer named Piorkowski.

"I got the assignment of guarding him," West said of the Valley League's leading scorer. "He was 6-1 or maybe 6-2, but I noticed he wasn't that quick and he took his time when he shot. I would play off him a little bit and then when he went to shoot you could run up on him quick and block his shot."

West held Piorkowski to just five points to spark the Wreckers to the 37-32 victory and a berth in the state championship game.

"When we beat Wyoming, that's when we thought we could win it all," West stated.

Trouble in Pittsburgh

Travelling to Pittsburgh by train to face Western Regional champ Irwin for the state's Class B championship, the Wreckers arrived three days early, but were hardly welcomed guests in the Steel City.

The game was to be played at the old University of Pittsburgh gym beneath the Panthers' old football stadium. When they arrived, the Wreckers found the gym in a deplorable condition, littered with papers and other dirt and debris on the floor.

"We went to the gym and the floor was filthy," West recalled. "There were actually pigeons flying around in the gym. They didn't clean it up until the day of the game, so our practicing was practically nil."

When the game tipped off things got even worse, as Duser got into foul trouble. With Weatherly's star player on the bench for long stretches, the bigger and deeper Irwin team was able to pull out a 45-38 victory and deny the Wreckers their first state championship. No other Weatherly team has advanced to the state final since.

Upon their return home, however, the Wreckers were honored with a town parade - in the middle of the winter - and a public testimonial banquet, attended by 250 guests.

The '46-47 Wreckers finished the season ranked 10th-best in the state, and the only Class B team to be rated. The remaining nine were Class A schools.

"It was very special season," West said.

Perhaps the best in the long and storied history of Weatherly High School basketball.

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